Washing Machine X9 User Manual

June 02, 2020 07:38

Welcome to the User Manual for Washing Machine, Intego's cleaning utility program for macOS. Use the Table of Contents below to go to the different sections of the manual. For information about installing Washing Machine and updating the program with Intego NetUpdate, see the Intego Getting Started Manual.

Downloading and Installing

2. Basic Overview

Registration

When you launch Washing Machine for the first time, the program will display it's serialization window:

Enter your name or company and your serial number. These fields are both required. If you purchased a downloadable version of the software, your serial number was sent to you in an e-mail confirmation. When you have entered this information, click OK. The program will now open.

Using Washing Machine in Free Trial Mode

Washing Machine offers a free trial mode for all to discover how the program works before you make your purchase. To use the free trial mode, click "Free Trial" when the registration screen displays.

When Washing Machine runs in free trial mode, it is functional for 30 days. Intego provides a demonstration version of its software so users can try out the application to see if the software is compatible with their Macs and their needs. The demonstration version is provided as an example of the program's features and functions, with the exception that the demonstration version cannot Clean or Tidy your computer. At the end of this period, you can either purchase a serial number for the application or uninstall it from your computer.

About Your Copy of Washing Machine X9

To get information about your copy of Washing Machine X9, choose Washing Machine > About Washing Machine. It gives information about Washing Machine X9, such as the version number, your serial number, and a clickable link to Contact Support.

First Time Usage

The main overview window gives information about how much free space you've cleaned from your Mac using the application. You can start a clean cycle by selecting it from the top left corner of the window.

There are three Cycle options provided:

Reclaim - This cycle seeks out files you no longer use or need and quickly cleans them from your machine, freeing up space and boosting your Mac's performance.Duplicates - Washing Machine is the only Mac cleaner that can find all duplicate files on your Mac. It is the only cleaner available that identifies duplication files by analyzing their bits. Other programs locate duplicates by analyzing timestamps and file names, missing those files that have different timestamps or files that have been renamed.Organize - This cycle is your key to an optimized Desktop organized for efficiency. Keep your Desktop clutter free, organize your Dock with the applications you access most often, and create Smart Folders to quickly access frequently used files.

Each section is covered in more detail in the next chapter.

3. Scanning and Cleaning

Reclaim

The Reclaim Cycle seeks out files you no longer use or need and quickly cleans them from your machine, freeing up space and boosting your Mac's performance. When you click the Reclaim button in the top left corner of the window, you are presented with a list of categories to Scan and Clean:

You can scan any of the following categories:

Caches - Cache files are created by applications to save reusable information. Removing an application's cache files can improve performance and free up disk space.Downloads - Files downloaded from the Internet are often found in this folder including installer (.DMG) files. These files are temporary files that are only needed to install, but not run, an application. If you have other types of files in this folder such as MP3's or image files, you should consider moving them to another location on your computer such as your home directory's Pictures and Music folders.Languages - Applications sometimes include support files to translate the text into other languages. If you do not speak these languages, consider removing these unnecessary files.Logs - Log files track an application's interactions with your computer. This information is often used to track down errors the application may encounter.Trash - Deleted files are sent to the Trash but not removed until you explicitly empty it out. After a couple of months, your Trash can resemble a landfill of wasted disk space. Washing Machine can help you empty it out.

There are three 'Deletion Criteria' options you can choose from by using the slider on the bottom right side of the window. The Safe option will delete less information, while the Aggressive option will delete more files and clear up more space on your Mac. More detailed information about exactly what will be deleted for each category is visible directly below the slider.

You can double-click any of the colored sections in the graph to get more detailed information about the files that have been found by the scan. This can help you visualize how much free space you can reclaim, and what applications and folders they are being deleted from. You can also use the list view on the left side of the window to see the size of each item. The list view can be sorted by any column. For example, you can use this to easily sort by 'Size' to see which sections are using up the most disk space on your Mac.

Once you have selected the categories of files you would like to delete, and Reclaim the space these files are occupying, click the Clean button. Please note that once you Clean these files, they cannot be recovered.

Duplicates

The first screen you will be presented with when choosing the Duplicates option is a Duplicate Search window which allows you to pick and choose which categories of files you would like to scan for. By default Washing Machine will search for all of the available categories, but you can customize your search by toggling any of the category sliders to the On/Off position.

Including and Excluding Locations

After you have selected the categories of files you wish to search for, click the blue 'Scan' button at the top of the window. You will be presented with a new window that lets you choose what areas of your computer you want to scan. You can drag and drop folders or drives into this window to include or exclude them from the current scan, or click the '+' or '-' buttons in each area to add or remove items from the list. For example: You might want to include only your internal or external hard drive. You also may want to exclude a specific folder from being scanned that may contain duplicates that you intend to keep (such as work documents). Excluding certain locations can also speed up scan times.

After you have chosen which locations to scan, click the blue 'Scan' button at the top of the window and Washing Machine will begin analyzing your files and searching for duplicates. A progress bar will appear in the top right corner of the window. The scan button will also be animated to indicate that it is working.

The left side of this window provides tips and tricks for using the application and Mac OS X. On the right side, you can see specific information about the categories of files that have been scanned. Washing Machine will indicate the progress for each category of files it is scanning.

Managing Duplicates

Once the scan is complete, you will be presented with a new window that will help you manage and delete the duplicate files you want to remove. The window below provides an example of what you may see after Washing Machine has completed a scan. This window is separated into three columns to help you easily manage your duplicates with a comfortable workflow. These columns are: Categories, Files, and Duplicates. We've labeled these columns '1', '2', and '3' below, and we'll provide additional information on each section in this chapter.

1. Categories

Categories provides a list of all of the different types of duplicates the scan has found. You will also see the total number of duplicates found for each category listed here. You can choose to manage all of your duplicate files at once, or select a category from the list to handle them individually. The chosen category will be highlighted in green to indicate it has been selected. By default, 'All Duplicates' will be chosen.

2.Files

The Files column displays a list of all files associated within the chosen category. You can see the 'File Name' for each set of duplicates, and a 'Files' count that identifies how many duplicates the application has found for each particular duplicate file. The first number indicates the number of duplicates you have selected to delete, while the second number indicates the total number of duplicate files for this particular item found during the scan.

Auto Select

The Auto Select option can help you quickly manage your duplicate files by automatically selecting a set of files to delete based on a certain criteria. By selecting any one of the options described below, Washing Machine will automatically choose to keep all versions of the file that match this criteria, and the rest of the files will be selected for deletion.

Earliest Files - Keep files with the earliest creation date. Latest Files - Keep the most recent version of files.Shortest Path - Keep files with the shortest destination file pathLongest Path - Keep files with the longest destination file pathOriginals - Keep the original version of all files. This is determined by file data such as the creation date.Files on 'Specified Volume' - Keep files only on a specific drive or volume. Note: Each individual volume scanned will be listed here.All Files - Keep all files. This option is helpful if you are trying to reset any changes you may have made.

Sort by Options

The 'Sort by...' option lets you modify the order of files presented for easy management. This can be very useful if you are trying to locate the duplicate files that are taking up the most space on your Mac, or a specific type of file or extension. You can sort files in the list by choosing from the following options:

Name - Sort by file nameCount - Sort by the number of duplicates foundType - Sort files into categories by typeSize - Sort from largest to smallest, or smallest to largest file sizeSelected - Sort by files you have manually selected for deletionExtension - Sort by file extension such as .txt or .zip

3.Duplicates

The Duplicates area lists the individual duplicate copies found by the scanner for the currently selected file. You can manually select which duplicate versions you wish to delete by selecting them from this list. Washing Machine offers a couple of options here to help you determine which files you want to remove. Clicking the 'Show' icon will open a Finder window that will allow you to see the exact file location on your Mac. The 'QuickLook' option lets you quickly view a preview of the chosen file. This can be especially helpful if you are trying to determine what picture files you want to delete. Additionally, a smaller preview of the selected file will always be presented at the bottom of this area as seen in the example below.

You can also hover your arrow cursor over the Location of any file in this list to see the full file path displayed. This is faster than clicking 'Show'.

Once you have made your selections, you will click the blue CLEAN button at the top of the window.

Now you will see Washing Machine cleaning the duplicate files you selected.

Organize

The Organize Cycle is your key to an optimized Desktop organized for efficiency. Keep your Desktop clutter free, organize your Dock with the applications you access most often, and create Smart Folders to quickly access frequently used files. There are three cycles to choose from.

Desktop

Organize your Desktop by sending documents, images, music, and movie files to either their appropriate home folders, a desktop archive folder, or the Trash. You can also let Washing Machine's autoselect feature do all of the organizing for you. You can organize your Desktop in three ways.

Organize in Home Subfolders - Drag items to this section to place them in the proper locations of your home folder depending on the file type.Organize in Desktop Folder - Move items to this section to create a folder on your Desktop where the items will be stored.Move to Trash - Drag items here to place any unwanted files and folders in the Trash.

Dock

Organize the list of application icons available in your Dock based on how often you use them. You can drag to add or remove items from the Dock. Your new Dock will be displayed at the bottom of the window. Removing an application icon from the Dock will not remove the actual application completely from your Mac. It only removes the icon from the Dock.

Smart Folders

Create Smart Folders that automatically keep up to date. Once created, they're always available on the Favorites sidebar of a Finder window. Quick access to the files you use most often makes life easier. Smart Folders automatically bundle your most frequently used files and applications all in one place.

To create a Smart Folder, simply drag an item listed under Available Smart Folders to the right of the window under Your Favorite Smart Folders. You can choose the order in which to display the Smart Folders in the Finder. Once you have organized the Smart Folders to your liking, click the Tidy button.

In your Finder window your Smart Folders will now appear under Favorites.

About Blueprints

Blueprints are overlays in Washing Machine that explain what each clickable item does.

You can view the blueprints by clicking the in the upper right corner of the screen you are viewing.

You can also place your cursor under any slider in Washing Machine and you will see the icon. You can click this icon for information about what the slider does.

4. Preferences

The Washing Machine Preferences pane allows you to make changes to some of the settings which impact how the application functions. This allows you to personalize your experience. To open the Preferences pane, click the word Washing Machine in the top left corner of your computer screen (next to the Apple logo) and click Preferences in the drop down menu. You can also access Preferences from inside Washing Machine by pressing the Command and comma keys on your keyboard.

General

Help Overlays: You can reset the help overlays so that they reappear when you launch the application again. If you are looking for basic instructions while using the application, this may be useful.Notifications: If you accidentally dismiss a notification and want to see it again, click here.Feedback: Intego software periodically collects information about how features are used to help improve their quality and reliability. All information collected is fully anonymous and cannot be used to personally identify any particular user or their behavior.

Scheduler

Maintenance: Washing Machine can remind you when you have not scanned your computer recently. By default, you will be reminded Every 2 Weeks. You can change this setting to Every Month, or Every 3 Months. You can also disable this feature entirely by unchecking the box: Remind me about maintenance.

Advanced

The Advanced preferences let you modify how the Washing Machine scanner functions. This gives you more control over how the scanner and cleaning operations work.

Dock: When using the Organize feature, Washing Machine will scan your entire computer for applications you frequently use. If you want to exclude applications located outside of the Applications or Utilities folders you can uncheck these boxes.

Reclaim: When deleting Trash, Washing Machine will also delete Trash located on external devices. Uncheck this option if you only want to delete Trash from your internal Macintosh HD drive.Duplicates: By default, Washing Machine will permanently delete duplicates. If you would like duplicates moved to the Trash instead, check this option.

Secure Cleaning: This feature allows you to securely delete data from your computer that has been marked for deletion. By choosing Basic, Medium or High, Washing Machine will overwrite files with 1, 7 or 35 passes of random data before deleting them. Warning: Secure Cleaning may significantly increase deletion times. SSD drives are also not supported with this feature.

5. NetUpdate

Updating Washing Machine X9

Washing Machine X9 uses Intego NetUpdate, which is installed with the program, to provide updates to the application. NetUpdate can be accessed directly from your Menu Bar:

NetUpdate can also be accessed from the Intego Folder located in your Applications Folder at: /Applications/Intego

When you launch NetUpdate, you will be notified if updates are available for your software, or if your software is up to date.

6. Washing Machine Support

If you still have questions about using your Washing Machine X9 and cannot find the answer in this User Manual, please check our Washing Machine Knowledge Base for answers to the most common questions by clicking the link below: